Thursday, May 24, 2007
Flyboys
In 1916 aeroplanes were still in their infancy and pilots flew in open cockpits literally by the seats of their pants. With the US still not in the war a group of Americans bent on learning how to fly joined the French Airforce. They are housed in a baronial French Manor with all the amenities and greeted upon their arrival by the Escadrille’s mascot—a tame lion. These men are not romanticized; they come with all their hang-ups and peccadilloes. The Texan whose ranch was just repossessed by the bank, the Southern Gentleman who will not bunk with a black man, the religious nut who spouts Bible verses as he shoots at German planes, the black prise-fighter who wants out of the ring, the gunner who just can’t seem to hit anything…. On their first mission they are almost shot out of the sky. With life expectancy measured in weeks not months or years these pilots live it up.
The aerial scenes leave one wondering what kept those planes in the air. In an era that predates pressured cabins, supersonic speeds, and electronic targeting warfare was very up close and personal; going head to head with an enemy plane took agonizing minutes not the mere seconds it takes at Mach one. The tiny bombs those planes could handle were not dropped from 10 miles in the air. In a time before the Hindenburg the Germans used dirigibles dropping bombs from floating hydrogen-filled bombs. The pilots may have had to load their own bullets in their gun belts because half the bullets were bent but the French fight in style. Those sky-blue uniforms glow even in darkened scenes and those leather jackets are stylish.
The scenes showing the trenches are among the most realistic ever shown on screen and viewing them from a few hundred feet gives a unique perspective. As their captain Jean Reno is priceless. Even James Franco gives us a performance with more swash than buckle. The hunk factor is down-played but they just couldn’t resist having him take off his pants in a cat-house.
